IMPHAL, September 22: The State government has given approval for filling up vacant posts in the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) which acts as its mouthpiece to keep abreast with the changing times and to turn it into a department of repute.
In another Cabinet decision, the government has also lifted its restrictions on making new appointments in various departments of the State.
The Cabinet took the decision out of compulsion as various departments including DIPR which lack adequate staffs and as a result facing difficulties in implementing State plans and Central Sponsor Schemes were losing their grounds, Education minister Moirangthem Okendro who was also holds the CAF& PD portfolio said.
The decisions were taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi at his chamber on September 19. The meeting that began on 3 pm continued till late night.
Apart from filling up the vacant posts, fresh appointments will be made by creating new posts in DIPR. The new posts are of an additional director, four posts of joint directors, nine posts of deputy directors, two posts of PROs while the post of a GradeIV/Peon and nine posts of Chowkidars are going to be recreated.
The other departments which the Cabinet has given approval for making appointments are the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture Department, Transport Department, Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department.
The Cabinet has also taken the decision of calling off its earlier decision of enforcing the New Land Use Policy in all the nine districts of the State, the Education Minister said, adding that the main reason behind the decision was the strong oppositions against it by people in the hill districts and lack of funds.
The State Government which was planning to get the funds from the Central Government to enforce the policy intended for saving land from encroachment took the decision of doing away with the policy after the BJP led NDA Government ruling at the Centre decided to scrap the Planning Commission, he said.
The State Cabinet had earlier decided to enforce the NLUP in January this year to save land from encroachment. The State government had even hired Sudha Pillai, a retired IAS officer, as the consultant to form the DPR of the policy.
Apart from making observation about the Mizoram model for implementing the policy, a meeting of the State Level Steering Committee was convened.
After thoroughly discussing the agenda of changing guidelines for forming Village Development Committee in those villages which have no Village Authority in the Cabinet meeting, no approval was given, Okendro said, adding that the villages in the hills wouldn’t have any Village Development Committee.
The Cabinet also gave its approval to the holiday list prepared by the General Administrative Department for the calendar year 2015. Next year will have 25 general holidays, 17 public holidays and 27 restricted holidays.
The Cabinet has also given its nod to appoint an executive member each in 10 Municipal Councils and 8 Nagar Panchayats.
It also gave an approval for allotting 44.1 acres of land for a permanent exhibition and centre at Khongnangkhong to the Commerce and Industries Department.
The cabinet also gave its approval for allotting land in Imphal East’s Sangomshung village, Senapati’s Ningthouphum village, Chandel’s Anal Khunou for building Kendra Vidyalaya Schools. It also approved the transfer of the place used by the State Power department at Porompat as its store and a place earlier belonging to the Mechanical Division of PWD to JNIMS, the Education minister said.
